Contributed by: zenithzenith(others by this writer | submit your own)Published on September 9th 2008Lo-fi, sketchy, utterly addictive and brilliant, the 28 songs that form Alien Lanes cover such a broad span of genres and move by so fast that, initially, many of them may well just pass you by. Taking in garage rock, British invasion pop, psych, folk and post-punk, and buoyed by the ever-present bu.

Lo-fi, sketchy, utterly addictive and brilliant, the 28 songs that form Alien Lanes cover such a broad span of genres and move by so fast that, initially, many of them may well just pass you by. Taking in garage rock, British invasion pop, psych, folk and post-punk, and buoyed by the ever-present buzz of an ungrounded chord, this album is the musical equivalent of a funhouse, with plenty of rooms to wander into and explore. Repeated listens reveal hooks that will stick in your head for days, and it may take you ages to memorize the wacky titles ("Blimps Go 90," "Striped White Jets") of these delicious buzz-inducers.

Let me interject right now: I love it when bands throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. Overindulgence lies as the secret to frontman Robert Pollard's brilliance and inspiration. He is overindulgent as fuck. A band on an indie label as well off as Matador that can toss out epic melodies, but which instead makes the conscious artistic choice to record on a four-track tape, with a limited coterie of musicians, trained only in the knotted-guitar chord frustration of small-scale recordings in the privacy of a cramped bunker (Pollard's basement). Can someone explain how that is not obscenely overindulgent? There's nothing stripped down about a 41-minute record with 28 songs on it. The album's sloppy, lo-fi production virtually eliminates the `90s trend of overproduction, which dated songs by glossing over their charms and quirks. The fuzz, hisses and pops of Alien Lanes add to its unity and ensure that it will remain timeless.

Although some criticism has (perhaps rightfully) been leveled at Pollard for â??writing about nothing,' his lyrics deserve a lot of attention on this particular album. "Watch Me Jumpstart," for example, is a self-affirming anthem of change: "Watch me jumpstart as the old skin is peeled / See an opening and bust into the field / Hidden longings no longer concealed," while the ultra-hooky "Game of Pricks" tells of his miserable experience in divorce court: "I've entered the game of pricks with knives in the back of me / Can't call you or on you no more when they're attacking me." Even when some lines are too abstruse to be deciphered, their imagery is always fresh, never borrowed: "Post-punk X-Man parked his forklift like a billion stars flickering from the grinder's wheel / Lower hybrid clad in metal in subgroup tools / Excused from school to fathom hell."

Alien Lanes is proof, in the age of major label hegemony, that one need not be David Geffen or Butch Vig to shepherd signature records for our generation. And possibly this will be Guided by Voice's legacy, instead of the many thousand anthems, songs, and fragments that they recorded and released over two decades with the endurance of a long-distance runner and the mindset of a sprinter. Immediacy, brevity, pure raw nerve join forces to make Alien Lanes one of the last great albums of the 20th century -- a record that tells us the long and labyrinthine history of rock and roll in the space of 28 well-paced shocks. It is a modern classic in every possible way.

Having seen GBV over 25 times during the span of more than 10 years with so many line-up changes and songs performed, I can honestly say this album is above and beyond anything they ever did. Of course maybe I'm slightly biased, growing up in Ohio, I recall the day my college roommate brought this bad boy home. At first I was more technically inclined not well versed in the so-called "Lo-Fi" movement having only recently been introduced to bands like Sebadoh, Pavement etc... The song that stood out was of course the single "Motor Away" I remember instantly being memorized by Mitch Mitchel's Guitar Playing and the hooks. Needless to say I started listening to the entire album on heavy rotation in my car. I was hooked! Some purists stick to "Vampire on Titus" or "Bee Thousand" but in my overall humble opinion...Alien Lanes captured Guided By Voices at it's essence pop hooks: raw, wild and at times cacophonous. Shortly thereafter I spent many hours in record stores collecting everything the band put out. God Bless The Monument Club!

Nice to see some GBV love on this site. I bought this album back in '95 based on indie hype and at first hated it. Give it time and these songs will be in your head forever. B1000, Alien Lanes and UTBUTS may be the bands best but the rest of the catolog is also great especially Isolation Drills. If you've never seen the band live I feels sorry for you.

I disagree, I think much of GBV's later material was equally stellar. I'll be honest, I really like Do The Collapse and isolation Drills. Under the Bushes, Under the Stars is pretty impressive, as well.

Incredible album. Simple, hooky, yet strange and mind boggling. Some of the best indie pop songs are found on this disc, which make up at least half of it. Except for a few really shitty tracks, this album is fully classic.